About

As a Marriage and Family Therapist I strive to create a safe, collaborative, and authentic healing environment, where I can assist individuals, couples, and families work through life’s challenges. In therapy, I utilize an integrative approach that nurtures the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual parts of the self while working to eliminate any obstacles that stand in the way of attaining your goals. I specialize in working with children, adolescents, individuals, and families. I earned a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2004 and my Doctor of Clinical Psychology from California Southern University. I completed my practicum work at the Christ Fellowship Counseling Center providing counseling services to individual adults, couples, and families.

Individuals seek out counseling for many reasons. Therapy can help you to remove the barriers that are standing in the way of being happy. I use a conversational style of counseling that allows you to be your natural self. In my practice, I utilize a variety of therapeutic strategies including cognitive behavioral, solution-focused, humanistic, and system focused. Together we will focus on the reasons you sought out counseling so then we can begin to engage and conquer the struggles you are facing, while creating a path towards the future you are longing for.
Depression – Sleep disruption, irritability, sadness, and hopelessness, are signs that you may be struggling with depression.
Anxiety - Worries, fears, loss of productivity and self-confidence, problems with attention and concentration all take a toll on productivity, relationships, and the ability to enjoy simple pleasures.
Career Counseling- Therapy can help you identify your values, abilities, and skills that would help determine your potential for happiness in given work environments
Relationship issues – If you are upset by conflict with your spouse or partner, recovering from the devastation of a breakup, or just can’t seem to find the “right” relationship, counseling can help.
Grief- Bereavement, loss and sadness can be immobilizing. Counseling can help.

Family counseling works to strengthen the family unit through utilizing the inherent strength of the relationships to resolve conflicts impacting the family’s level of functioning and help them to assume individual responsibility for the problems. Individuals and their families who are experiencing a wide range of issues including depression, substance abuse and relationship problems can benefit from a family therapy approach. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I have been thoroughly trained and educated to assess and effectively treat psychological conditions and poorly functioning families. Which family members attend family counseling sessions will depend on the unique needs, and circumstances and may include all or only some members as well as individual sessions. I strive to help the family in understanding more clearly how their family functions and in what ways the family system is contributing to relationship conflicts and individual physical or psychological illness. Families learn alternate strategies for handling problems and developing more positive interactions. When family counseling is initiated due to the behavior or illness of a specific member, as the therapist I can work with other members to better understand the individual’s condition, how it impacts the family as a whole, and in what ways their own behaviors may have contributed to maintaining the problem. There are many reasons that families seek therapy. Sometimes there is…
A specific problem to be solved (which school does my child attend next year?)
A pattern to be changed (communication, family cohesion, playing together, etc.)
A dynamic to be restructured (power dynamics in the family are off, someone is sick, behavior problems are hijacking the family)
An issue to be processed (trauma, affairs, emotions, hurt, loss, etc.)
Sometimes families need to learn a skill and other times they need someone to walk with them and help to mediate conflict and communication. I can meet with families for short term needs as well as longer term solutions.

As parents know, raising children can be both incredibly challenging and extremely rewarding. Unlike prior generations, families today are scattered across the globe. The network of community is frequently weakened or lost through relationship separation, divorce, relocation, job demands and other changes. A child’s learning experience and effort to cope suffer due to this weakened support network. The result may manifest as a conflict in family relationships, lowered self-esteem, and academic underachievement. The role of a parent is further complicated when a child receives a mental health diagnosis or manifests a behavior issue. Yet, it is only when parents become part of the solution that behavior can improve for their child and healing can begin. Parents must nurture, discipline and inspire by keeping children safe and encouraging them to explore their unique potentials. Parents are the agents of change.

Counseling can help you and your teen weather the challenges of this vulnerable time, and prompt help is often the key.
Common problems facing teens include:
Self Esteem and Social Isolation – while many teens are moody, a pattern of moodiness, isolation, and anger can be a warning sign of a bigger issue.
Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Learning Disabilities- helping teens navigate the complexities of communication, difficulties with executive functioning, and learn healthy Social Skills.
Anxiety and Social Phobias – teens experience a range of stresses (school, social acceptance, self-esteem are just a few) helping them navigate these stressors is key.
Cell phones, social media, and bullying –while technology is a blessing for most, for some teens social media can lead them on an emotional roller coaster with twists, turns, and painful pitfalls.